Essential masterpiece; powerful De Niro; simply one of the best films of all time.

"Raging Bull" isn't the average, stereotypical underdog boxing movie,
because it isn't really about boxing at all. Like most great movies,
its focus is much deeper. It came out in 1980, earned Robert De Niro a
Best Actor Academy Award, and was marked down as another solid triumph
by director Martin Scorsese, whose previous 1976 outing with De Niro
earned them both critical acclaim (and for De Niro, an Oscar
nomination, although he would actually earn an Oscar for "Raging Bull"
four years later).

It dwindled in production hell for quite some time, with Scorsese's
drug use halting production and only the duo's strong willpower that
kept the project moving ahead. It was after De Niro read boxer Jake
LaMotta's memoirs that he knew he wanted to make the film, so Scorsese
and De Niro turned to Paul Schrader for a script. Schrader, who had
previously written "Taxi Driver" (1976), agreed, and wrote the
screenplay for them. The rest is history.

"Raging Bull" has often been regarded as the greatest film of the 80s.
To be honest, I'm not so sure about that, since various genres offer
different feelings and emotions (comparing this to a comedy might seem
rather silly). But to say it is one of the most powerful films of all
time would be no gross overstatement -- it is superb film-making at its
finest.

De Niro gained 60 pounds to play LaMotta, which was an all-time record
at the time (later beaten by Vincent D'Onofrio, who gained 70 pounds
for Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket"). His physical transformation
is on-par with any great screen makeover, especially the most recent,
ranging from Willem Dafoe in "Shadow of the Vampire" to Charlize Theron
in "Monster." In addition, co-star Joe Pesci also lost weight for his
role of Joey, LaMotta's short, eccentric brother. The greatest scene in
the film is when LaMotta accuses his brother of having an affair with
his wife. The tension is raw, the dialogue amazing, and the overall
intensity electrifying.

The film is most often compared to "Rocky," more than any other,
apparently because they both concern a certain level of boxing. As much
as I absolutely adore "Rocky," "Raging Bull" is a deeper, more
realistic film. But whereas "Raging Bull" is raw, "Rocky" is inspiring,
and that is one of the reasons I do not think these two very different
motion pictures deserve comparison, for the simple fact that they are
entirely separate from one another. The only connecting thread is the
apparently central theme of boxing, which is used as a theme in
"Rocky," and a backdrop in "Raging Bull." They're entirely different
motion pictures -- one uplifting, the other somewhat depressing -- and
the people who try to decide which is better need to seriously
re-evaluate their reasons for doing so. They both succeed splendidly
well at what they are trying to do, and that's all I have to say about
their so-called connection.

De Niro, who could justifiably be called the greatest actor of all
time, is at the top of his game here. In "Taxi Driver" he displayed a
top-notch performance. He wasn't just playing Travis Bickle -- he was
Travis Bickle. And here he is Jake LaMotta, the infamous boxer known
for his abusive life style and somewhat paranoid delusions during his
reign as world middleweight boxing champion, 1949 - 1951. Throughout
the film, he beats his wife (played expertly and convincingly by the
19-year-old Cathy Moriarty), convinced that she is cheating on him, and
that is more or less what the film is truly about. The boxing is just
what he does for a living, and could be considered as a way to release
some of his deeper, harbored anger.

LaMotta has a close relationship with Joey, his brother, and their
interaction is often what elevates the film above others of its genre.
The dialogue is great, close to the perfection of Quentin Tarantino's
"Pulp Fiction," rich in that rapid-fire filthy language and brutal
insults. Pesci, who was on the verge of quitting showbiz at the time of
pre-production, was spotted by De Niro in a cheap B-movie named "The
Death Collector" (1975), a.k.a. "Family Business," a truly horrid film
that nevertheless showcased an early sign of things to come for Pesci.
De Niro wanted him for the movie and his premonition was either very
lucky or very wise -- this is one of the best performances of Pesci's
entire career.

Scorsese shot the film in muted black and white, portraying a certain
era of depression and misery. To make the blood show up on screen
during the occasional fight scenes, Scorsese used Hershey's Syrup --
which is an interesting tidbit of trivia for any aspiring film-making
planning on filming a violent movie in black and white. But how often
does that happen?

This is certainly one of the most intense films Scorsese has directed,
and one of the most important of his career. Along with "Taxi Driver,"
it is an iconic motion picture that will stand the test of time for
years and years to come.

Scorsese and De Niro's partnership over the years has resulted in some
of the most influential and utterly amazing motion pictures of all
time: "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver," "The King of Comedy," "Goodfellas"
and "Casino" come to mind almost instantly. But perhaps the one single
title that will be remembered as their most daring effort is "Raging
Bull," a motion picture so utterly exhilarating that it defies
description. It is simply a masterpiece for the mind and senses,
leaving you knocked out cold after its brutal one-two punch. If I had
to assemble a list of required viewing, this would be up there towards
the top.

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169 out of 213 people found the following review useful:

It doesn't get much better than this

Easily one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. I have watched it
at
least ten times, and it only gets better and better with each viewing.
Martin Scorsese is absolutely the greatest filmmaker of the last quarter
century, and this film is his best. The story of how boxer Jake LaMotta
watched his career and marriage crumble under the weight of his violent
temper and deep-rooted misogyny is told with no punches pulled (excuse
the
bad pun), as Deniro (in what may be his best performance) and Scorsese
unflinchingly explore what drove this man over the edge, and what
ultimately
may have pulled him back. The boxing scenes easily rank with the most
brutal
and violent moments ever put on film, shot in stark, unadorned black and
white and utilizing unlikely sounds including shattering windows and
animal
cries to great effect. Thelma Schoonmaker's jarring, discordant editing
in
these scenes also deserves special mention. The scenes of domestic
violence
are not for the faint of heart, but there is really no other way to tell
this story. If there is a more perfect exploration of why as men we act
the
way we do, then I'd love to see it, because this movie made me
re-evaluate
my life. 10/10

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127 out of 169 people found the following review useful:

Scorsese's Best? De Niro's Best? The 1980s' Best? Probably on All Three

"Raging Bull" is a cinematic masterpiece which pulls no punches. Based on a
true story, Robert De Niro (in his second Oscar-winning role) stars as Jake
La Motta, a middle-weight prize-fighter from the late-1940s and early-1950s,
who basically destroys himself and those around him because of an
uncontrollable temper and poor decision-making. Instead of going down as
one of the greatest boxers of all time, La Motta ruined his career because
he was unable to see the "big picture". He threw bouts, he got involved
with low-life underworld crime figures, he beat his wife (Cathy Moriarty, in
her Oscar-nominated role), he abused all those closest to him, and he had
relationships with young girls who were still considered minors. Even his
strongest tie, his younger brother (Joe Pesci, in an Oscar-nominated,
star-making part), gets cut during the course of his untimely
self-destruction. La Motta goes from middle-weight champ to a washed-out
stand-up comic at a local club. He gains weight uncontrollably and
ultimately just becomes another face in the crowd by the end of the film.
By the end, La Motta proclaims that he: "Could have been a contender....",
quoting Marlon Brando's famous line from "On the Waterfront". "Raging Bull"
is one of those films that is masterfully crafted in all possible
departments. The screenplay is one of the best in the history of film.
Martin Scorsese's direction is superb and so is the cinematography (shot
almost entirely in black-and-white). The film delivered De Niro an Oscar
and also won for its editing. "Raging Bull" is one of those films that is
very close to "Citizen Kane". They both deal with men who desperately want
to be great, but ultimately destroy themselves and those around them. This
film is often rated the best film of the 1980s. I cannot argue with that
opinion. I also think that this is the best work that Scorsese and De Niro
have ever done. The fact that this film lost the Best Picture Oscar to
"Ordinary People" in 1980 is probably the biggest disappointment since
"Citizen Kane" lost to "How Green Was My Valley" in 1941. Excellent. 5
stars out of 5.

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75 out of 87 people found the following review useful:

Some technical aspects of this cinematic masterpiece

The first surprising thing about Raging Bull as a film is its black and
white photography, with the only colour footage being the short home
video sequence of La Motta's wedding. Originally, the decision to shoot
the film in black and white was based specifically on cinematographer
Michael Chapman and Martin Scorsese's memories of 1940's boxing bouts,
which they remembered as black and white flash photos in magazines.
People's memories of Jake La Motta's fights would have been black and
white ones and therefore it seemed right to shoot in black and white,
even though at first they had fears this would be seen as too
pretentious. The particular visual intensity of the fight scenes,
however, was partly due to financial difficulties rather than
directorial choices. In an attempt to keep the picture on schedule, two
separate lighting styles had to be adopted. Jake's life outside the
ring would be kept as simple as possible, and this meant that the
scenes in the ring could be concentrated on more. They would be shot
entirely in the Los Angeles studio and would be highly stylised. This
is how the dazzling visual nature of the fight scenes was allowed to
come about. Scorsese, suffering from a low point in his career, was
convinced this film would be his last and wanted to go out with a bang.
Hence he decided to give the fighting scenes all he could, since he had
nothing to lose anymore.

What Scorsese disliked about the previous boxing films he had seen was
the way the fights were shown from ringside, adopting a spectator's
view, which protected the audience from the brutality inside the ring.
For Raging Bull, Scorsese was determined to get as close as possible to
the raw violence of the fights. He would film inside the ring and make
the audience feel every punch. His plan was to shoot the fight scenes
as if the viewers were the fighter, and their impressions were the
fighter's, and never to insulate the audience from the violence in the
ring. The viewers would think, feel, see and hear everything the boxers
would. Aside from the opening fight, La Motta's first professional
defeat against Jimmy Reeves, there would be no cuts to the baying of
the crowd. For the Reeves fight Scorsese chose to include some chaotic
backlash from the crowd showing their disapproval of the judge's
decision, but apart from this scene, Scorsese's mantra throughout the
film was 'Stay in the ring'. Each intricately choreographed fight would
have a different style in order to reflect La Motta's different states
of mind at the time of the fights.

Jake La Motta was consultant for the film, and the fights were depicted
as he remembered them. For example, in his second fight against Sugar
Ray Robinson, the ring is wide and brightened by the radiant white of
the canvas making the scene feel free and open, and a relatively
comfortable atmosphere. This is because La Motta won this fight, a
great victory against his great rival. In contrast to this, the ring in
his next fight against Robinson, which he lost on a controversial
decision, was designed by Scorsese as a 'pit of hell'. In the opening
shot of this fight, Scorsese has made everything look unclear and
indistinguishable. This time, the ring is very dark and smoky which
increases the blurred, unfocused feel of the fight. Often during this
fight, faces are out of frame. For example when the two men are boxing
La Motta's face is often blurred out by smoke or hidden by his
opponent's body. This is seen once again when he is in his corner for
the break in between the rounds; the shot has his face completely
covered by one of the ropes of the ring. This was how La Motta himself
remembered it; these events will remain unclear in his mind since he
could not work out why he had lost. This sequence depicts a
particularly upsetting part of La Motta's memories, and perfectly
illustrates how he was feeling at the moment of the fight.

Just as important as the look of the film was the sound. As with the
cinematography, two different styles were adopted to differentiate
between La Motta's life in and out of the ring. The fight scenes were
recorded in Dolby Stereo with heightened, often animalistic sound
effects and a striking use of silence. This contrast with the dialogue
in the film, which was recorded normally, was used to emphasise La
Motta's heightened sense of awareness in the ring. The most memorable
use of sound in the film, in particular the use of silence, is in La
Motta's fourth fight against his great rival Sugar Ray Robinson. The
rounds are punctuated by eery silence, giving an impression of slow
motion and evoking the idea of what would be running through the
boxers' heads. Just as memorable was the decision to use an animal's
breathing for Robinson's final attack on La Motta. Everything is
standing still, there is a striking silence throughout and all that can
be heard is the bestial breathing building the suspense, as if Robinson
was a lion about to strike on its prey. The next sequence is an
extremely fast montage of cuts showing La Motta being badly beaten by
Robinson. This scene moves between Robinson and La Motta at a rapid
pace to suit the lightning fast boxing of which La Motta is on the
receiving hand. This was carefully planned out and storyboarded
beforehand by Scorsese and then skilfully brought to life by editor
Thelma Schoonmaker, who won an Oscar for her work.

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90 out of 127 people found the following review useful:

The most important "boxing-movie" of all times

Jake La Motta's story is no doubt the best movie about boxing of all times
together with Robert Wise's The Set-Up. Besides the legendary performance
of
Robert De Niro, there are many things in this film that will remain in my
heart forever: the splendid black & white, the contrast between the slow
moving scenes and the frenetic ones, the choice of the music and the sense
of loss which entangles the whole movie. De Niro faces another "born loser"
role (after Travis Bickle, John Rubin, Johnny Boy) and strikes again;
Martin
Scorsese is the most poetic director of the last 30 years.

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79 out of 107 people found the following review useful:

Another Scorsese masterpiece!

Raging Bull is one of Martin Scorsese's best films and with out a doubt
the best film of the 80's. It follows the career of middleweight boxing
champion Jake LaMotta as his career progresses but his emotional
problems worsen.

The most notable feature in Raging Bull is the colour. All but the home
Video footage is shot in black and white. This was a huge risk on
Scorsase's part but it defiantly pays off, the film wouldn't feel the
same had it been done in colour.

Throughout the entire film acting is simply impeccable. De Niro and
Pesci are both stunning. The script is amazing, you really feel like
you understand every character, none of their actions seem out of
character no matter how outrageous they may be.

Scorsese's directing is stunning. He really is a very talented director
and in Raging Bull it shows. The fight scenes are famous for their
brutal realism and it's easy to see why. He puts you right in the ring
with the fighters and you cant help but admire their technical
brilliance. However, the most stunning aspect of all is Thelma
Schoonmaker's editing. Its some of the best editing I've ever seen
especially during the fight scenes where it's positively breathtaking.

No matter what happens you always find yourself sympathising with La
Motta, even during his most outrageous moments. Not only is Raging Bull
the greatest film to come out of the 80's but is one of the greatest
this century that's highly underrated and defiantly worth owning.

10 out of 10

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125 out of 199 people found the following review useful:

As perfect as perfect can be.

Raging bull is my favorite film. Robert de Niro's performance in this film
is truly amazing and the direction from Scorsese and the script from Paul
Schrader are flawless. The fight scenes are the most brutal that I have ever
seen on film even though theres only like 12 minutes of them and the editing
is simply brilliant. It should have earned Scorsese a best director oscar
but at least they had enough sense to award de Niro the best actor oscar.

I'll come back to this film forever.

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72 out of 101 people found the following review useful:

one of the most powerful movies, ever!

From the story of a one time middle weight champion of the world and
his apparent necessity for internal conflict and self destruction,
America's greatest director in the history of cinema has carved a
masterpiece of a feature, teaming up with the greatest actor of his
generation in order to establish what will no doubt go down in history
as one of the most powerful films of all time. "Raging Bull", directed
by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert deNiro in the brilliant
performance that ensured him a well deserved Academy Award, is a raw
feature film that will have you stunned at its conclusion and leave you
reeling in your theatre, couch or bed until the final credit has
finished rolling off the screen.

The film, adapted from another source, revolves around the rise and
fall of Jake LaMotta (deNiro), an ambitious middle weight fighter who
has struggled for years along with his manager brother (an
unforgettable Joe Pesci) to get a shot at the title for the middle
weight champion of the world. Frustrated with himself and the life that
he's had to lead, LaMotta presents the complex mind of a self
destructive man who's inhumanity and self-destructive nature push him
away from all the people in the world that love him and ultimately
transform him from a prize fighter into an overweight sleaze with
nothing but the clothes on his back. From the flawless and gripping
boxing scenes to the raw yet accurate portrayal of his abusive habits
towards both his brother and wife, "Raging Bull" succeeds on absolutely
every level.

DeNiro's performance in the film is unquestionably his finest piece of
work in his own personal career, if not throughout the history of
cinema altogether. Completely believable as a boxer, he furthermore
went on a diet to put on 60 pounds for his scenes situated in the
latter half of the film when he has hit rock bottom which is testament
to both his dedication and his unparalleled skill of establishing a
believable character. Joe Pesci is absolutely brilliant as his
portrayal of Jake's brother, Joey LaMotta, and considering the fact
that was one of his first feature films in the spotlight, he completely
delivers a character who loves his brother unquestionably but who also
has internal struggles regarding his own nature and his methods of
dealing with his brother. I fell in love with Joe Pesci due to his
performance here, and he is clearly one of the more talented and gifted
actors within Hollywood.

Scorsese is also in top form, and you can feel his presence, his
brilliance and his uncompromising dedication to showing you the real
life and times of Jake LaMotta in every single piece of footage
presented to you on the screen. Martin Scorsese illustrates the reason
why he is considered by many to be cinema's greatest film director of
all time as he takes you on a journey of Jake LaMotta's personal and
public existence. Scorsese doesn't leave anything out, and his
brilliance obviously lies within the fact that he can illustrate
everything about a character in the simplest of scenes to make you
empathise but simultaneously make you comprehend the various
fundamental layers of such a despicable character in cinema history.
And on top of that, he can make you like the character and hate the
character at the exact same time - a brilliance unprecedented
throughout Hollywood and surely testament to Scorsese's superiority to
directors such as Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood who, despite
having tremendous talent, cannot realistically present characters to
the extent that Scorsese can.

Further supporting cast members, Cathy Moriarty and Frank Vincent
deliver completely credible characters with Moriarty well deserving of
her Oscar Nomination for her performance as Vickie. The editing was
completely flawless and top notch throughout the entire feature with
Scorsese's other partner - Thelma Schoonmaker - bringing Scorsese's
incredible vision to life once more without a single complaint in the
world. Brilliant cinematography ensured a visually compelling piece of
work, exemplified further by an Oscar Nod towards this element of the
picture also.

All in all, this is arguably the finest achievement from the
Scorsese-DeNiro partnership, and it delivers everything that you would
predict from our beloved Martin Scorsese. Love, deceit, hate, an
underlying theme of violence, some of the best acting ever put on film
as well as some of the most brutal and compelling sequences of boxing
you'll ever see: all are shown with flamboyance and an honest brutality
that we've come to accept as the trademark of Martin Scorsese in this
poignant tale of one man's annihilation of self. And who is the only
director who could realistically bring this to life? We all know the
answer.

Well done, Mr Scorsese. Regardless of what the pretentious fools
responsible for the decisions that the Academy makes, the people are
fully aware of who the best director in town is.

Classic examination of masculinity

The story of boxer Jake La Motta from his rising star in the 1940's through
to his own downfall and his eventual living on the cabaret circuit in the
present day.

Scorsese and De Niro  nobody needs say any more. Whether it be media
satire (King of Comedy), small time thugs (Mean Streets) or real gangsta
s**t (Goodfellas), the two rarely miss. This was one of their best to date
(and probably for ever). The story is fascinating in itself but as an
examination of masculinity it excels. The film allows us to watch a man who
goes along with all the things he thinks make him a man  even when those
characteristics and habits begin to destroy everything he has  his
marriage, his realtionships and his career. Combine this with the gripping
boxing tale of ups and downs and you have a film that never outstays it's
welcome.

Scorsese is on top form  the use of black and white any have been a quality
issue, but he uses it well. The fight scenes are other worldly 
exaggerated to the extent that it is breathtaking and more shocking than
previous boxing scenes in other movies. My favourite effect is the sound
editing in the fights where silence and calm seem to descend just before key
moments ..amazing. The relationship stuff is also gripping and Scorsese
handles he human cost just as well as he shows us the physical
beatings.

De Niro is amazing  the method stuff alone is great, but his whole
performance is intense. Similarly Moriaty, Pesci and Frank Vincent are
excellent  however they all stand in De Niro's shadow.

Overall  an excellent film on so many levels, as a story, as a examination
of masculinity, as a sports film, as a lesson in direction and
editing ..this excels in so many ways  may it never drop out of the top ten
from the twentieth century!

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115 out of 195 people found the following review useful:

There is a reason why they are referred to as the greatest....

From my understanding, before this film was made, Martin Scorsese,
arguably
America's greatest filmmaker, was at the end of his rope. He was about to
call it quits. His good friend, arguably America's greatest film actor,
Robert De Niro, approached him with a book he had read. The title of the
book was Raging Bull. After some coaxing,
Robert finally convinced his friend to do the film, and it resulted in a
MASTERPIECE!!!!!

"Raging Bull" is the story of former boxing middleweight champion Jake La
Motta, and his penchant for self-destruction. La Motta is not in the least
a
nice guy. He is well, a jerk, who eventually drives any and everyone who
has
ever cared about him out of his life. He evolved from a lean, trim boxer
to
an overweight loser who owns a night club.

This film currently ranks on AFI's 100 Greatest Movies at #24, and for
very
good reason. It contains arguably THE GREATEST acting performance in the
history of cinema, by arguably the greatest actor in the history of
cinema,
directed by arguably the greatest director in the history of cinema. But
together, nothing needs to be argued, they are the greatest tag team in
the
history of cinema. Robert De Niro is flawless, superb, excellent, amazing,
any positive adjective is warranted by his performance. There is a reason
why they call him the greatest actor. This is it. (also "Taxi Driver")
Naturally, Scorsese's direction is flawless, and Thelma Schoonmaker's
editing will pretty much speak for itself. The black-and-white(or tinted
monochrome) was an ingenious touch, similar to William Friedkin's gunshot
at
the very end of "The French Connection". It is the most beautiful movie I
have ever seen, if it were a woman I could only beg to drink its
bathwater.
Joe Pesci is excellent as Jake's brother Joey, as is Cathy Moriarty as
Jake's long suffering wife. It is sad when you realize that De Niro will
never act that great again, but you find solace in the fact that he once
did. He is maybe my favorite actor, Scorsese maybe my favorite director,
and
I only hope to have a millionth of the impact they've had on film. Far
superior to "Rocky", even though Rocky is very good and contains maybe the
most inspirational theme song ever.

This film was criminally robbed of 1980's Best Picture and Best Director
Academy Awards, by "Ordinary People", another one of those dysfunctional
family drama's. The Academy has since lost a huge amount of credibility,
but
I find solace in the fact that they honored De Niro with an award for Best
Actor, in a performance that warrants two of them and makes me want to
shine
his shoes.

The film gets nothing less than a 10. It was voted the film of the 1980's
decade. I agree wholeheartedly.